Baseboard Heating Stops Getting as Hot as it Used To?

Hello,

The baseboards in my one bedroom condo have been working well all winter. However, a few nights ago, they just stopped heating up completely. Usually the top of the baseboard is hot to the touch. This is no longer the case. While the pipe on the inside of the board is hot, and the boiler appears to be in working order, the board itself is just NOT heating up completely anymore. The apartment is notably colder, and the thermostat is not going past 78 (I have very poor circulation and generally keep it at 85-90.)

I know NOTHING about plumbing, baseboard heating, etc. Can any one tell me what might be wrong?

Baseboard Heating Stops Getting as Hot as it Used To?

Since you said you don't know much about the system, I will have to suggest that you get a professional in to bleed the system, add more water if needed, and also tune up the system.

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__________________(One morning on WRKO Radio) The tub's not clean! Let's remodel the bathroom.
(One afternoon on WRKO Radio) It's time for an oil change. I'm going to trade in the car for next year's model.

Baseboard Heating Stops Getting as Hot as it Used To?

Thanks so much for the reply.

It is a new construction, so one of the guys who worked on the project supposedly bled the air. I watched him do it - he just let the hot water run out for a few minutes. Since it didn't "choke" or stop up, he said there was probably no air and that everything was fine.

Where would more water need to be added, and what would need to be tuned up? Sorry to ply you with questions. When a plumber comes in here (generally a male) they usually try to take advantage of a young girl like me.
Any help you can provide so I can appear somewhat knowledgeable is EXTREMELY appreciated.

Baseboard Heating Stops Getting as Hot as it Used To?

Where are you located? The system may have an outdoor reset which would have lowered the water temperature if the outside air was warmer than usual. Or, if it was really cold, the boiler may not be able to keep up with that high of a demand. Can you take a picture of the boiler and the aquastat(probably a gray box somehere on the boiler). And how young are you that you keep the temp at 85-90?

Baseboard Heating Stops Getting as Hot as it Used To?

Is the furnace for your condo unit only, or shared by all the units (apartments)?

For a shared furnace and also for a few individual furnaces, the thermostat activates a circulator motor or a plunger valve. Should these components be defective you can get less heat than you should.

Are there any knobs or user adjustable valves on the baseboard heaters that are exposed and might have been twisted accidentally?

Also, things such as sofa slip covers should not obstruct the bottom slot and louvers of baseboard heaters and the insides of baseboard heaters should be vacuumed out periodically (careful, very sharp edges).

__________________(One morning on WRKO Radio) The tub's not clean! Let's remodel the bathroom.
(One afternoon on WRKO Radio) It's time for an oil change. I'm going to trade in the car for next year's model.